Doctors call for federal budget relief

Doctors are calling for a massive funding injection for public hospitals, saying the system is struggling to meet demand.

The Australian Medical Association says huge cuts in the last federal budget will hit home in 2017, warning of overcrowding, fewer services and longer waiting lists.

"I think if this government is serious about making sure that we have a healthy society, they need to make sure that they continue to fund our public hospital system," AMA president Brian Owler told reporters.

Professor Owler said $57 billion in hospital funding promised over 10 years was stripped from states and territories in the 2014 budget.

A potential allocation of $6.7 billion over four years to deal with both health and education had been raised after talks between the states and the commonwealth.

The figure would not be nearly enough, he said.

"It's not going to mean that states can continue to provide the level of services that patients expect and deserve."

Prof Owler said health funding was a "live issue" in the election campaign and the public understood the system had been under attack in recent years.

He listed the introduction of GP co-payments, a freeze to the Medicare rebate, and reductions to pathology and diagnostic imaging funding, in addition to the hospital cuts.

"I think the public understand that this government has been trying to push the costs back to consumers, back to patients' hip pockets, and we know that that is bad for health outcomes," he said.